One of the last Canadian soldiers to have fought in Dieppe has died

Fred Engelbrecht passed away early Wednesday morning at the age of 98. He was a member of the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry and left an indelible mark on his fellow veterans, while earning himself a place in Canadian history books.

On August 19th, 1942 nearly 5000 Canadian soldiers landed on the French coast of Dieppe, in what would be the bloodiest single day for Canada’s military in the second World War.

Fred Engelbrecht was just 22 years old at the time. He survived the ordeal, only to be taken captive. Engelbrecht shared his harrowing experience with us last year.

“The first wave went in and they’re the ones who got the pounding. There were bodies all over the place. There was barbed wire just before the wall, it’s been flattened out with the bodies falling on it, so I just step on them, over the bodies and I get to the wall.”

After the war, Engelbrecht returned to Hamilton and joined the Hamilton fire service. Instead of dodging bullets, he was jumping into burning buildings.

His death means there is only one known surviving member from the raid. 95 year old Ken Curry, who lives in BC. The two were reunited at a memorial ceremony last year, to mark the 75th anniversary of the raid.

Engelbrecht leaves behind two daughters and a son. So far, the family hasn’t released any details about funeral arrangements.